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(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. D. H. WEEKS.

FRUIT PARING MAUHINE.

W NESSES= Patented Apr. 18,1882

INVENTUR N. PETERS, Ptmwukho u lwr. Walhingtum D. C.

(ModeL) 28h t- D. H WEEKS. ee s Sheet FRUIT PARING MACHINE.

No. 256 776. Patented Apr. 18, 1882.

INVENTUFL N. PETERS. Paulo-Lithographer. Wzih'mgion. ac

v UNITED STATES PAT NT Qantas.

DANIE E-WEEKS, OF MILFORD, DEL.,-ASSIGNOR, BY, DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGNMENTS, 'lO ROBERT P. scorr, OF NEWARK, N. J.

FRUlT-PARING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 256,776, dated April18, 1882.

Application filed May 28, 1880. (Model.)

To all whom it may'coacern:

Be it known that l, DANIEL I-I. WEEKS, of Milford, county of Kent, andState of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Im adapted forparing fruit that has been cut in sections-such, for instance, as thehalves of peaches.

Myinvention consists in anovel combination of devices, hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claim, for imparting to theparingknife a rapidly-oscillating motion, and also a back-and-forth orrocking movement.

In the accompanying drawings, FigureI represents side elevation of myfruit-paring machine. Fig. II represents a plan view thereof. Fig. 111represents a front view thereof. Fig. IV illustrates more particularlythe swinging frame or turn-table. Fig. V illustrates in detail the knife-carrier and the paring-knife. Figs. VI and VII represent detachedportions of the mechanism for imparting the oscillating movement to theknife. Fig. VIII is a de- 0 tached view, showing how the tilting frameor knife-carrier is tripped by the pin on the crownwheel.

In these drawings, A is the main frame of the machine, which is providedwith the clamp 5 B,for attaching the machine to a table or other 4support.

0 is the driving-wheel, which is provided on its periphery withgear-teeth, and which is held upon the studc, projectingfrom the mainframe A. To this driving-wheel is attached a crank or other means ofimparting rotation thereto.

A standard, 1), rises from the main frame A,

and the arms (I d of this standard form journal-bearings for the shaftE, which receives 5 motion from the cog-wheel E, meshing with thedriving-wheel 0. To the end of this shaft is attached the rotatingholdin g-t'ork F, c0nsisting of the plate f and the bent prongs f.

To the back of the plate f is attached a cam,

f, which, in connection with mechanism hereinafter described, serves toimpart the rapidlyoscillating motion to the paring-knife. The prongs fof the'holding-fork are bent, as shown, in the direction of the line ofrevolu tion of such fork, in order to better resist the tendency of theknife to draw the fruit from the fork. Surrounding the revolving fork isa plate or disk, F, the shank of which is at tached by screws to thestandard D. The purpose of this plate or disk is to better retain thefruit inits proper position on the fork during the operation of theparing-knife.

From the top of the main frame A rises the stud G, and upon this stud issecured the crown-wheel H, provided with depending gearteeth It, andheld at a proper distance above the main frame by means of a sleeve.This crown-wheel receives'motion from cog-wheel I, which revolves on.the stud or axle c, and which is rigidly attached to the maindrivingwheel by means of the sleeve 73. From the top. of. the main framealso rises a stud, J, upon which is held a swinging frame or turn-table,K, provided with the slot 7c. Thisframe K receives its motion from thecrown-wheel H 7 through the medium of the pin 7L2, projecting from thecrown-wheel and working in the camslot 70. The frame K is held at therequired distance above the main frame A by means of the dependingsleeve it. Two journal-bear- So in gs, 7c and 70 project from thevibrating frame K, and on these bearings rests the knife-can rier. Thiscarrier consists of the base portion, L, having the side journals, 1 I,one on each side, and the tripping-arm M, provided 8 with the cam-facem, and the vertical standard or arm N, having the stud or axis a, onwhich the paring-knit'eis hung.

To the vertical arm N is attached the knife gage O by means of theset-screw 0. The broad vertical face of this gage is somewhat curved tocoincide with the cutting-edge of the paring-knife, and is placedslightly behind and above the same. The distance from the knife isregulated by the set-screw 0, which 5 enables the gage to be clamped inany desired position, and thus govern the depth of the cut and thethickness of the paring. A spring, P, is attached to the swinging frameK at a point, p, and to the knife-gage O at a point,

This spring serves to keep the knife in its normal position, drawn downor forward, so that it presses against the surface of the fruit. It andk bearin g the removable axis Q, upon From the swinging frame K projectthe arms which are hung the arms q q of the vibrating arm B. This arm Ris provided with a socket. 1", within which, by means of a clamp, 4", isheld. the ball r attached to the end of the pitman, and by this meansaball-and-socket connection between the pitman S and the vibrating armIt is formed. The end of the pitman S is provided with an eye or loop,3, which fits loosely over the cam f on the back of the platef of thefork, and which causes the pitman to be lifted by such cam at eachrevolution of the shaft E, and to thus vibrate the arm E.

To the arm It is attached a link, T, having atone end theloop t, whichfits over the stud t, and at its other end the loop t which fits overthe stud t on the knife-crank Z. The knifeWis rigidly attached to thiscrank, which is held upon the axis by means of the loop X, the end ofwhich is clamped in the recess X in the vertical arm N by the shank ofthe knifegage O.

The operation of my machine is as follows: The clamp having beensecurely fastened to the table or other support, power is applied to thedriving-wheel O, and from this driving-wheel motion is imparted to thecog-wheel E, to the revolving shaft E, and to the revolving holding-forkF. The cam f at the back of the fork communicates arapidly-reciprocating movement to the pitman S, which being connected tothe vibrating arm It causes the same to rise and fall, and through themedium of the link T and crank Z to impart an oscillating motion to theparing-knife. The cog-wheel I, being rigidly attached to thedriving-wheel by means of the sleeve i, revolves with the same andimparts motion to the crown-wheel H, the pin 71 in the top of which,Working in the cam slot h of the swinging frame or turn-table K, givesmotion thereto and causes the knife to move back and forth in front ofthe fork. As the paring-knife reaches the limit of its movement at theside of the fork the pin 7L2, projecting from the crown-wheel H andthrough and above the slot It, strikes the cam-face m of the projectingarm M and causes the carrier L to tilt, and thus to lift the knife fromthe fruit. By means of this pin the knife is held from the fruit untilit is carried back to a position in front of the fork to resume itsWork, when the pin h passes from under the projecting arm M and theknife is drawn down against the fruit by the spring P.

Iam aware that holding-forks having curved prongs are not new, and thatforks having prongs of considerable length and curved and overlappingthroughout are old. I amalso' aware that an inclined metallic guard hasbeen placed in the rear of the holding-fork at some distance from thebase of its prongs; and, further, that a revolving knife has beenemployed for the purpose of paring fruit; and such features, therefore,I do not broadly claim; but,

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is Thecombination of the knife W, crank X, link T, vibrating arm R, pitman S,shaft E, and cog-wheels E and. C with the holdingfork, substantially asshown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein the presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL H. WEEKS.

Witnesses:

REYNEAR WILLIAMs, A. W. BELL.

